Improved tackle for raising and lowering boats



'UNITED STATES PATENT Triton WILLIAM A. DEVON, OF PORT RICHMOND, NEW YORK.

IMPROVED TACKLE FOR RAISING AND LOWRING BOATS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 57,@77, dated September 11, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. DEVON, of Port Richmond, in the county of Richmond and State of New York,'have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Raising and Lowering Ships Boats, of 'which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, and in which- Figure l represents a side View of portion of the bulwarks of a ship or other vessel, with davits and myimprovement in connect-ion with the same, as applied to the raising or lowering of a boat; and Fig. 2, a transversevertical section illustrative ot' the same.

Like letters refer to like parts in both figures.

My invention consists in employing, in addition to the ordinary davits to which the tackle is applied at opposite ends of the boat, a centeror intermediate davit, and-reevin g the ropes of said end tackles through a block suspended from the intermediate davit, and then attaching both ropes to or passing them round a barrel that may be rotated by a winch or windlass, or, being freely hung, may serve direct, by varying the number of bights according to the load, to bala-nce and steady theboat in its run, so that but a small amount ot' labor will work or control it, and the boat be held level by the junction at and support on a common center of its opposite end tackles or their ropes.

To enable others to understand and use it, I will now proceed to describe my invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- A represents a portion of the bulwarks of a vessel; and B B, davits for supporting, by ordinary tackle, consisting of blocks O O and ropes a a, the boat D at its bow and steril.

E is an intermediate davit, having hitched to its outer end a block, F, through which the ropes a a are rove, so as to hring,without twisting them, their ends or free portions one on either side of the upright portion of said intermediate davit. The ropes c @may then pass through cleats b b, secured on the inner edge of the bulwark, and afterward be made fast to a barrel, G, hung4 so as to rotate in a frame or standards, c c, and which barrel may be operated by awinch or windlass, so as to raise or lower the boat by winding or unwinding the ropes a c. Such application of power, or means, however, to the barrel G lis not absolutely necessary, and may preferably be dispensed with by simply giving the ropes c cone or more bights on or around said barrel, according to the weight of the boat, or latter and its load, and then hauling at or gradually slacking out the loose ends of the rope to raise or lower the boat, as the case may be.

From this description it will readily be perceived that, the weight being divided or transferred to the barrel G, by giving the ropes a suflicient bight or number of turns on said barrel the heaviest boat may be almost balanced by but a comparatively slight hold on the loose ends ofthe ropes, and its run in lowering controlled with the greatest ease and accuracy, while but a small amount of labor will be necessary to raise it 5 and it will .furthermore be seen that, inasmuch as the ropes of both end tackles are rove through a central or intermediate block, F, as a common center, and are afterward hauled on or run out in unison on-or from a common barrel, G, the boat, or latter and its load, must of necessity be preserved at a level both in raising and lowering, or, in other words, either end of it be effectually restrained from tipping up.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

'lhe method herein described of raisin g and lowering ships boats by reevin g the ropes of the end tackles through a block connected with an intermediate or center davit, and afterward giving the loose ends or portions of said ropes f bi ght on or attaching them to a rotating barrel, substantially as specified.

IVM. A. DEVON. 

